i’m applying for UCLA for fall 2016 admission. I know UCLA has programs for perspective students by attending classes during the school year.
If I take a course before my application or during, do u think I have a little more of an advantage to getting in compared to other applicants? because I’m in the school system & if I do well in the course the admissions would see I could also handle the UC work
No, they will not factor that in, only in terms of overall GPA.
Really @lindyk8 ? I was under the impression that UC’s look at the classes one took. If the classes taken were prerequisites for a major, for example, wouldn’t those hold some weight with the admissions people?
I may be wrong, but it seems that UC’s would recognize that sort of thing.
I say this as someone who’s applying in the Fall of 2016 to Cal (and other schools), and will be taking all of my prerequisites at UC Berkeley. Common sense would suggest that taking classes at the desired school would be advantageous for admission, but again, I may be wrong.
If for nothing else, do it for yourself @indiaa . That should help you get acclimated to the UCLA course load, or that of any UC, really.
Completing major prerequisites is a given no matter what school you’re attending.
All I know is what they officially say, which is taking classes at a UC through cross-enrollment, etc. will not boost a person’s chances. Whatever may happen behind the scenes, I cannot say.
I don’t see in my comments where I said not to do it. So forgive me, if that was the takeaway. Yes, it is a good way to acclimate, etc. and, as I said, it will be factored into the GPA.
But if OP thinks it’s a backdoor way into the UCs, the official line is it is not.
BTW, depending on major and course you may have trouble taking all pre-reqs at a UC. You are last in line to get in, and you are only accepted with permission by the instructor. I don’t believe cross-enrollment is carte blanche into all classes.
Getting a potentially higher GPA at a CCC is nothing to sneeze at, especially when in the transfer process GPA is king.
Fair enough @lindyk8 , that makes plenty of sense. I think the only way it would play to the applicant’s advantage is if one’s CC didn’t offer prereq’s for a certain major, such that one would go out of their way to UCLA (for example) and take the classes there. That shows some dedication too, which couldn’t hurt (except possibly lowering one’s GPA).
Also, I think you run the risk, as golencub said, of a lower GPA.
UCs will not think “Oh, its okay that its a B, since it was at UCXX”, they will count it as a B. Therefore, I’d take an A at CC vs a B at a UC
Exactly, @luckie1367, and I agree, @goldencub taking a course not offered at your CCC at any other school shows dedication.
Since studies have shown transfers retain pretty much their same GPA after they transfer, here’s a scenario:
2 students, same major, same CCC.
Student 1 takes all classes at the CCC with a 3.82.
Student 2 takes some classes at a UC and ends with a 3.7.
One spot left. How do they determine? Maybe they take the UC courses into consideration. But one GPA is higher. That might be all they’ll see.
For non holistic schools, (ie not UCB or UCLA) its will always be the highest GPA
@luckie1367 so for UCLA or UCB it’s not all about the highest GPA you mean? I have heard success stories about students getting in lower than what most people would expect
I just replied to your other post on TAP, which can be helpful.
UCB and UCLA are holistic, which means they look at more than just GPA and major pre req completion.
Can you tell us more about what major and which UCs you want? That can help us help you 
@luckie1367 good to know! English is my major and I heard that’s impacted so I’m nervous. Tbh I did mess up my first 2 years at CCC so this year I’ve been attending 2 other CCC’s to makeup classes and get my GPA up.
- I’m mostly nervous about them seeing the W’s I’ve had, the fails/Ds are made up but I think on the transcript it’s still present
- I want to do the TAP program but I’ve never taken an honors course so idk if I could handle that yet? Since this year I need literally all As or even a couple Bs to keep a high GPA.
- How do u get an interview? Or is it just supplementaries they send out now?
Thank you so much! 
While they are holistic (UCB especially), GPA is still a huge part of it, especially with selective/impacted majors. If you look at the average GPAs of student admissions at UCB it is still the highest of all the UCs.
If I may make a suggestion, if you are thinking about UCLA (it seems like you are), consider applying to the American Lit and Culture major. It’s in the same department, has a much lower average GPA, and is not selective. What an advisor told me in the English dept is you can request a switch to the more selective English major after you get in, as the requirements are the same. Now I cannot guarantee that because what one advisor says may not be what another says. All I know is that is what he told me, and I have heard of other students switching into selective majors after they got to UCLA - but ONLY if it is n the same dept.
Interesting thread. I have been thinking about cross enrollment as my community college has a program where I can take a free class over at UCB, and TAP offers a “Summer Enrichment Program” which includes a class at UCB. My concern though, as noted above, was getting a lower grade in a class at UCB, instead of the likely A I could get in a class taken in its place at my CCC and I’m at a place where I can’t afford a B.
The Summer Enrichment Program is different, no? Can you take it P/NP? It would be great just to be over there. You live in the bay area, right? So do I.
I honestly know little about the Summer Enrichment Program, but was under the impression that it was just taking a class. Maybe there’s more to it though, which is entirely possible. Didn’t think about P/NP though, which is a good idea.
I was also under the impression that it would “look” good for me had I just taken a class at UCB, but as mentioned this thread has made me think a little different about it.
Yep, Napa! Enjoy the beautiful weather today!
- First, UCs don't care about Ws, so don't worry about them. Also make up all D/F grades ASAP, it will boost your GPA a ton.
- Do your research on the honors teachers and courses. While I understand you want to protect your GPA (and I encourage you to do so), I would like to add that some of my favorite courses have been honors classes.
- UCs don't offer interviews as part of the admissions criteria. You only have the 2 essays to make an impression, so get some good feedback and do a couple of revisions before you submit!